Payton, Walter

Payton, Walter (Jerry)

(born July 25, 1954, Columbia, Miss., U.S.—died Nov. 1, 1999, Barrington, Ill.) U.S. football player. He played football at Jackson State University and from 1975 to 1987 was a member of the NFL Chicago Bears. He retired as the all-time leader for combined yardage (rushing, kick returning, and pass receiving; 21,803 yds), seasons with 1,000 or more yards rushing (10), and rushing yardage (16,726). In 2002 his career rushing record was broken by Emmitt Smith and his combined yardage record was broken by Jerry Rice. Payton is considered among the greatest running backs in football history.

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Payton, Walter (Jerry) “Sweetness” (1954–  ) football player; born in Columbia, Miss. A fast, powerful running back, he became the National Collegiate Athletic Association's leading career scorer at Jackson State University in 1974 with 464 points. He is the NFL's (National Football League) leading lifetime rusher, with 16,726 yards for the Chicago Bears (1975–87). Extremely consistent, he had 77 NFL games in which he rushed for 100 or more yards and ten seasons of at least 1,000 yards.